Typhoon Roke made landfall in Honshu in southwest Japan on Wednesday last week before moving away northeastwards. The centre of the storm passed to the northwest of Tokyo, but strong winds still affected the capital with gusts of up to 83mph, which brought down power lines and disrupted transport networks.

Even though the typhoon did not pass directly over Fukushima and the damaged nuclear power plant, the area still received almost 200mm of rainfall. Indeed heavy rains afflicted much of the country with 100-200mm recorded across many areas, and up to 400mm locally.

In China, heavy rain continued across northern, central and southwestern areas through the first half of last week, with rivers breaching their banks and causing widespread flooding. In Vietnam, northern parts had heavy and persistent rain from mid-week, which reached more central areas by Saturday. In Quang Ngai 253mm fell in just eighteen hours up to midday Saturday.

In Australia, wildfires continue to rage across the eastern states, with over 700 active fires being fought last week. High rainfall totals this past winter in eastern Australia gave rise to substantial grass growth, whilst the recent dry and hot conditions have seen this grass dry out, making it primed to burn. Strong winds through Wednesday and Thursday fanned the flames and greatly hampered the firefighters' efforts.